Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

10. The strength within

RILEY

My palms were sweating as I joined my brother, Anna and Connor at the pack meeting. It took a lot to make me nervous, yet somehow the idea of possibly being rejected by my family's pack made me feel incredibly anxious.

As we sat in the packed meeting hall of the mansion, I could see the curious faces of the pack members, young and old. Some looked excited, others seemed unphased. There were a few though that appeared to be a bit unhappy about being there. My brother walked up on the podium and took his place at the speaker's desk. The room was full with hundreds of pack members but they all went quiet the moment he stood behind the microphone.

"Blackwood Pack, as you all know, 24 years ago this pack and my family were struck by a tragedy. We lost our beloved Alpha and Beta Moreau and I lost my parents and my sister. But the Goddess has been kind to me, as she has granted me my wish to find my sister, so it is my pleasure to present to you Aurelie -Riley- Moreau, daughter of Alpha Margot Moreau and Beta Matthew Moreau."

As the applause erupted in the room, I saw Lucien wave for me to get on stage, even though Anna was already pushing me towards the steps to get there. I quickly joined my brother and smiled widely as a thanks for their warm welcome.

"My sister is of Alpha blood, so you are to show her the respect an Alpha deserves. She is also an expert in security and protection, therefore she will support Beta Evans as Head of Security and Training for this pack." I looked at Lucien in shock as we hadn't talked about this and we had agreed that I might go back to London once we found the people behind our parents' murder. Yet, I couldn't help but be pleased by the fact that my brother trusted my skills and abilities, and he believed that I could protect the pack despite not being a wolf. "If anyone wishes to speak on the matter, do so now."

There was silence until a young man spoke up. "She is not a wolf though! How can she be responsible for protecting us when she doesn't have an animal?"

Lucien started to respond to him but I motioned for him to stop as I needed to handle this myself. "What's your name, lad?"

"Jamie, ma'am."

"Jamie, you are right- I don't have my wolf. In fact, I don't even know what it's like to have a wolf because mine was killed by the same people that went after my family. But let me tell you this- your wolf gives you strength, it is your weapon. But neither strength, nor weapons mean anything when you don't know how to use them. Protecting this pack is not a question of being the strongest or the bravest but it is about thinking strategically and being one step ahead of your enemies. Trust me, there is no one who knows this better than a woman who learnt to bring down enemies with only her human abilities." I finished my reply and stood there confident in what I had said and in my own abilities. I looked at Lucien, who was beaming with pride- I must have said something right then! I could see that Jamie was thinking through what I said and the realisation that I was right slowly hit him.

"It would be an honour to train under you, Aurelie Moreau." He said and lowered his head to show his respect. Next thing I know all of the pack members lowered their heads and the slow clap that started in one end of the room turned into a thunderous applause. In the row in front of me Anna was practically jumping with happiness in her own seat, while Connor gave me an approving nod. Maybe I really had Alpha blood in my after all.

After the meeting I continued to meet and greet various pack members, so I was ready to pass out by the time that Lucien and Anna suggested for us to go. Our rooms were in the Alpha wing of the mansion, which came equipped with its own living room, dining room, and kitchen amongst other things. Lucien and Connor excused themselves as they still had some pack business to go over but I didn't mind it as this gave Anna and me a perfect opportunity to bond.